


What Would Have Been

by Dr_Cat



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:48:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23855626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dr_Cat/pseuds/Dr_Cat
Summary: Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are trapped out in the middle of the desert, injured, and vulnerable to Eggman's attack. Will they all make it to another victory . . . or will they perish? What would have been, might change.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story nor am I in affiliation with Sega or Sonic Team.

I didn't feel good and, judging by the condition of my battered limbs, I didn't look good either. Glancing around, I tried to gain my bearings through the surroundings, but instead, I was met with unfamiliar territory. No homes. No landmarks. No trees. Not even grass or bushes. Just dry, peach sand stretching out as far as the eye could see. Confused, disoriented, and slightly unnerved, I could see I was in trouble; serious trouble. I was lost. No clue where to run or where to head for. I turned my head around in several directions only to be faced with the same scene on all sides; a blank, barren horizon with coarse trails of overexposed ground quickly being drawn up and away by the dry winds. I gazed heavenward to see the noonday sun high in the sky, giving me no instruction as to which way was east or west. Yup . . . lost.

"Ah, ouch," I cried in pain as my left hand quickly went to my wounded right arm. This was worse yet. Not only had he dumped me in a desert wasteland, but that stupid robot Eggman also sent after us injured my arm; pretty badly. I tried to lift it, my dominant arm, only to have to stifle a scream of agony and blink the tears out of my eyes. It had to be broken. But wait, us? Where's Tails? Why . . . ? Wait! What was that? My eyes quickly ran back to the spot where I saw motion only a moment ago. To my surprise and remorse, it was Tails. He was buried under the sand, which blended well with his pale orange fur, and wildly struggling to lift his head up. He looked dazed and flustered as he panicked.

"I can't move," he shouted, genuinely frightened by the situation. I quickly made my way over to him and gently lowered to my knees beside the fox.

"Calm down, Tails, it's all right," I assured him with false confidence as I knew we were in a challenging situation at best. He calmed down considerably under the sound of my voice and looked up at me with wondering eyes. Poor little guy. I shouldn't have taken him with me on this one. How could I be so dumb, no reckless? Trying to ignore the guilty lecture to myself, I dug around him with my good arm, dismissing the dull throb of my right.

"Sonic?" he asked timidly as he too began helping himself out of the sand trap. I looked down at him and noted the questioning stare he gave my limp arm.

"Don't worry about it," I smiled.

"Where are we?" he asked. I frowned a bit, not having the foggiest as to our locale. I just shrugged my shoulder and shook my head. Once Tails was out of the pit, he immediately went to work. I could tell by the look in his blue eyes he was analyzing, calculating our situation, and that it wouldn't be long before he graced me with an answer or opinion. Good old Tails. But during his process of thinking, I looked him over, making sure there weren't any serious wounds or marks on him. He seemed fine, except for a few bruises scattered about his body. Nevertheless, he seemed weary which I guess is understandable. The last couple of days had been nothing but a dangerous, battle fraught ordeal with none other than Dr. Eggman behind it all. Our current situation was just the icing on the grueling cake, so to speak. Tails let out a sigh as it appeared he gave up in whatever venture he was taking and squinted at me in the bright sun.

"How are we going to get back?" he asked me matter of factually. He had so much faith in me. I mean this looked impossible but he still thought I had a way out. Well, though I had no idea where we were or even if there was a way out, there was no way I was going to let my little bro down. I had to keep his spirits up and the best way to do that was to strive for something.

"I don't know, but I know how to find out. Come on," I said as I stood back up and began walking. I could hear Tails quickly do the same as he came alongside me. After a few minutes of silent trekking, he spoke up.

"What do you think he'll do with the emerald?"

"I'm not sure, but knowing Eggman it isn't good, and it won't be easy to stop him . . ." I paused solemnly. Tails looked up at me in mild shock. Ha, got him.

"Just kidding," I grinned, "This'll be a piece of cake."

Tails smiled as well.

"Yeah. We'll stop him!" he exclaimed happily as he struck a confident fist in the air. I loved to see my friends full of confidence. Whether in dire straights or the best of moods, nothing soared my spirits higher than when others had freedom and confidence in themselves and others. Kind of corny, but it suits me fine. We traveled a little way, which to my dismay was causing extreme pain to rack my arm.

"Sonic? It's broken, isn't it?" Tails asked, after a few moments. He was now looking at the swollen ligament I was now squeezing rather tightly, unconsciously trying to strangle the pain away. I smiled weakly not trying to alarm him but I allowed the agony of my injury to show through my clenched teeth; shoot. Tails frowned and stopped walking.

"We have to do something about that or it'll get worse," he stated as I stopped a few feet ahead of him. I rolled my eyes. It wasn't that I didn't know it was serious; I just didn't want him to worry about it. Besides . . .

"Look, Tails, there's nothing we can do about it way out here in the middle of nowhere," I replied turning my head to face him. For whatever reason, he wasn't satisfied.

"Well, maybe we could splint it or put it in a sling," he reasoned.

"Will you look around," I exasperated illustrating my point by waving my good hand before me, "There is nothing to splint or sling this with. We just have to keep going. There has to be an end to this soon, trust me."

He seemed slightly defeated, not by my words I could tell, but by the circumstances. He glanced down at his feet but nodded in agreement. I nodded in acceptance and started walking on . . .

"I don't trust you."

Both me and Tails turned to our left and were shocked to see Knuckles standing there in his typical stance of arms crossed and a scowl on his mug . . . Why was he here? . . . How was he here?

"You don't even know where you are let alone where you're going," the echidna taunted. Arrrg, I can't stand that, always the party crasher.

"Well, I know if I keep going in one direction I'll end up somewhere," I retaliated as I walked on forward. I could hear him scoff.

"Knuckles, do you know where we are?" Tails asked, honestly wanting to know if said echidna had an answer. This ought to be good.

"Well, no. But it would be my guess that we're in one of the three largest deserts on the planet."

"Gee, thanks, knucklehead. That was awfully helpful," I mumbled as I turned back to face them. He glared at me before moving his hands down to his sides and continuing.

"Look, I think we should head east. That's our best chance, seeing as one of the deserts, if I remember correctly, leads to the sea if you go west."

Well, that's dandy. It was my turn to ask a question.

"How did you get out here?"

He smiled slyly before responding.

"You didn't think I'd let you have all the fun. I'm after the emerald, just like you," he said, his voice growing more serious towards the end. Mmm, that made sense, but it still didn't explain how he was here, in the desert, with us. Knuckles seemed to foresee my confusion and glanced upwards while speaking.

"I came down with you two when Eggman dropped you out. I figured you would need some extra help and I was right," he stated, looking back at me. Ha, good old Knucklehead. I had to admit, even though he had a way of coming across as a hard, strict, sometimes harsh, egoist at best, he was still a trustworthy friend and a good-natured rival. Though he does have the tendency of being a tad bit naive which turns him against you in a second, but hey, who's perfect. All the same, Tails and I really are in a tight spot here, so, I guess he's got me there. Man, I hate it when he's right, especially about the needing help part. Oh, well. I nodded.

"Good."

"So, Knuckles, which way is east," Tails asked. This time, the red echidna just stood there, dumbfounded, as if the kid had asked him to explain the inner workings of a rocket booster. Even an idiot could tell by his long pause and 'where the heck am I' look in his eyes that he no more knew where east was than a broken compass.

"You don't know, do you?" I asked with mock innocence. He began mumbling to himself as he turned away from me and Tails and began, what I assume, surveying his surroundings.

"No problem, you did see which direction Eggman's ship went, right?" Tails questioned, hoping to gain some ground here I imagine. Ah great, he's cursing the day he was born . . . geez, that means NO! Okay, okay. What am I freakin' out about? I'm Sonic the Hedgehog. I'm cool, I'm fast, no problem.

"Don't worry guys, we'll just . . ."

Before I could voice some encouragement, Tails swooned heavily and then . . . I saw his eyes roll back. My mind and body reacted quickly to this sign. As he passed out, I caught him. Unfortunately, his body weight slammed into my arm and I let out an uncontrollable howl of pain. Knuckles turned instantly, concern in his features as he rapidly came to my aid. He lifted the fallen fox from me as I gritted my teeth against the fire that was surging through my arm. He looked down at Tails before glancing at me and my injury. I could tell in his eyes he was taking the situation a little more seriously now. He began checking over Tails, making sure he was still breathing and stuff. I watched, feeling helpless. I hated not being able to help my little bro and, worst of all, I hated the fact I let him get mixed up into this.

"We need to get him someplace cool and we need to do something about that arm," Knuckles advised, leaving no room for argument. I knew enough not to disagree with the seasoned guardian for even if he is pretty dumb in most areas, medical advice, amazingly, wasn't one of them. He was now holding Tails in a customary cradle fashion as he looked down at me. I guess he wants me to lead. But I don't know where I'm going. He doesn't give me a choice, however, and I decide to go the way I had previously been trekking. I can't help but think about Tails though. Is he okay? Did he hit his head in battle and now have a concussion? Is it the heat? Is he going to be alright?

"What's wrong with him?" I asked quietly as we moved through the sand. I can hear Knuckles sigh in contemplation from behind me and knew he didn't have the complete answer to that question.

"I don't know, but he's warm and sweating, a lot. That's not good. I think it might be heat exhaustion, but speaking of not good, what about that arm?"

"We'll worry about it later. Right now we need to find a place for Tails," I said, honestly concerned more about my friend's past out state than this stupid arm.

"It's broken, isn't it? Has to be or else you wouldn't let it flop around like a limp noodle. Dang it, Sonic, hold it up, at least, or you'll make it even worse; possibly never use it again. In fact, stop, just stop."

I don't need him telling me what to do. I already gave my answer, thank you. So, I continued to walk on ignoring his loud voice.

"I said stop, Sonic," he said through clenched teeth of anger, I could tell. But I kept walking; hopefully, he'll just quit trying.

"Sonic!"

Oh, well. So much for hoping.

"Didn't you hear me!" he shouted. I could tell I was really aggravating him now; his short temper and all. But who cares, I don't, and unfortunately the only other person here who would was unconscious to what was going on . . . oh and Tails too. Okay, okay that was mean of me. He was, after all, trying to help, maybe I should stop.

"Fine," I hissed under my breath, trying to sound as if I was irritated beyond all reason as I stopped. However, quite unconsciously, I turned my bad arm away from the echidna. He came beside me with a look of _finally_ etched on his face. Man, for whatever reason, I was angry and anxious. Well, I knew the reason why I was angry, I wanted to help Tails and I wanted to do it now and there was nothing we could do about my arm. But I didn't really know why I was anxious. At least, I didn't know until Knuckles tried to reach for it. He had placed Tails on his left shoulder and was now trying to nab my Broken Arm! I understandably jerked away. I didn't need him grabbing my injury; it hurt enough already.

"Quit being a baby and let me see it," he demanded again, stretching out a hand. I resisted the sudden urge to shout 'no' and instead tried to ward him off by explanation or, at least, excuses.

"It really isn't that bad. In fact, I'll do what you said I'll hold it up. Maybe that'll help," I said as smoothly as possible. Darn it, I was scared. I could feel it bubbling up from the pit of my stomach. I didn't want to be. It was just a common injury. However, the surge of fiery pain that pulsed from it told me otherwise. He seemed to calm down a bit, but he still had this serious face, almost parental in a way, which was strange for Knuckles.

"Look, Sonic," he began in an all too understanding voice. I didn't know how to react to it.

"I know you know it's broken and that if we don't set it correctly you're going to have serious problems with it later on. You're not going to blow this off, so, that means I'm going to help you, got it."

I closed my eyes, knowing it was stupid of me to be denying this problem and refusing his help, but . . . oh, how come I'm so hesitant. Because it's going to hurt, I know it is. Suck it up hedgehog, you have to do this. You've suffered worse and you still have a long way to go and acting like a bad patient isn't helping. I opened my eyes, turned to my friend, and nodded in trust to him. He seemed a little shocked as if he thought I was going to fight him some more but didn't, which made me smile a bit.

"Okay," he replied. However, almost immediately, I could tell he had no earthly idea what he was going to do. He looked at me with his violet eyes and simply said, "I don't know how I'm going to set your broken arm. There really isn't much out here, is there."

I stared at him, and in spite of the current situation, I laughed at the absurdity of it all. He seemed a bit irritated by the fact he had just appeared foolish or that I was right, I'm not sure, but then he smirked.

"Shut up. You're not off the hook yet, hedgehog."

My chuckles stopped. He reached out and took my arm before I could protest and I was shocked by how gentle he was with it.

"Now, this is going to hurt, but you're going to need to hold this up. Grit your teeth or something."

I could feel my pulse race, but I did as I was told and bit down as he . . . ARGGHH! Lord help me!

"There. Now, hold it up, and we can keep moving."

"My thoughts exactly," I grunted, miserably releasing my teeth and receiving an empathetic look in the process. I cradled my right arm into my left and we walked on with a bit less tension and more harmony in the atmosphere. But the sun was relentless in its efforts to make us into walking barbeque sandwiches and, to say the least, woeful was an understatement to the sun-soaked misery we were tramping through. True, I normally can handle these conditions, but with dehydration, hunger, injuries, and no relief in sight, it was becoming unbearable. This couldn't be good for Tails and, to be honest, I was a little worried about myself and Knuckles. It was hard enough with the heat and uneven sand to go through, but to have to carry, no offense little buddy, 44 pounds of dead weight certainly had to be taking a toll on the enduring echidna.

Again, I was reminded of how useless I was having only one good arm. I could be helping to carry Tails. In fact, how can I do that? Maybe putting the little guy on my shoulder as Knuckles had. Yes, that could work. I stopped and turned around to see that we were in deep trouble . . . Besides the fact Knuckles was sweating bullets, the scene behind him totally clashed with what was ahead of us. Clouds of darkness loomed on the horizon, starting from the ground and towering upwards of a 100 feet or more in high whirlwinds. It looked surreal but I had seen enough movies to recognize it immediately; sandstorm.


	2. Chapter 2

How did it form so quickly? Now that I think about it though, it is a little windy. Knuckles must have determined something was wrong too as he turned around to see the large storm.

"Great," I could hear myself slip out the sarcastic remark before feeling the sweat bead on my forehead in worry.

"We need to get out of here," Knuckles exclaimed as he faced me. Brilliant deduction, Captain Obvious.

"I know, but we got to find a place to get away to," I stated, feeling the frustration building up along with the extreme urgency to act quickly. We needed to do this fast. We needed to run. Why hadn't we been running all along, to begin with! Wouldn't that of made sense? Mmm, then I looked down at my busted arm and remembered 'Oh yeah, that's why we aren't running'. Just walking was hard enough on it, running would be unbearable, unless . . . I ran at top speed. It would be as if I were gliding over the surface of the sand; no turbulence for my arm. Wait. I looked back to Knuckles and Tails. Problem: how would they keep up? Solution: you don't run at top speed and endure extreme pain . . . Wait, maybe I could run ahead, check out what's there, and then run back with the info. Sweet.

"Knuckles, I think I have a plan," I declared.

"What is it?" he asked, honestly interested in my idea.

"Look, let's go ahead and start running this way. I'll run ahead and check to see if there's any shelter."

Knuckles nodded and that's all I needed. I revved up and took off like a shot, legs pumping so fast I felt like I was floating across the ground, almost as if I wasn't touching it at all, like on air; the desired effect. I could see the wisps of sand filtering from underneath me out into a spray on either side of myself. I looked back to see Knuckles running as fast as he was able which, I must admit, was pretty fast. Grant it, his full-out sprint was nowhere near half my speed, but he was definitely putting some distance between him and that storm.

I then directed my gaze back in front of me to see something rather uplifting. If my eyes weren't failing me, I could now just make out the peaks of hills, or were they mountains? I couldn't tell, but at least it was different than the landscape we had previously been witnessing.

So, I really poured on the juice; catching some of the effects of a runner's high, which was nice as the pain in my arm subsided. In the matter of a minute, I was there, standing on the threshold of a mountainous terrain with hillsides covered generously with vegetation and valleys flowing with small, but clean springs of water. An oasis.

This is just too good. Defiantly a place of shelter. I quickly turned tail and raced back to where I was hoping to find Knuckles and Tails with the good news. However, after two minutes of running and still finding no sign of their whereabouts, I began to panic. Where were they?! He was coming this way; he had to be around here, right? It's not like it's hard to find anyone out here!

"Maybe I ran the wrong way?" I said aloud, trying to release some of the tension stacking up inside of me. No. I know I came from this direction, my track is right there. Then what . . .

"Whoa!"

My whole body pitched downwards as the ground beneath me gave way to a hole. I reacted quickly and grabbed the edge with my good arm while using my feet and speed to get me safely back up the sides of the cave-in onto solid ground.

"Sonic!"

I heard a shout rise up from within the pit. Oh, no. This is no time to play in the dirt.

"Sonic, I'm right under you. Tails is slipping, hurry up!" I heard Knuckles muffle out with a sense of urgency in his voice. Before thinking (you didn't have to ask me twice), I was back down the side of the hole, defying gravity with my running feet, to see the echidna clasped to the side of the cavern . . . directly in front of me! I quickly veered right so as not to collide with him.

What does he need me to do? I thought quickly, seeing Tails was in his left hand, hanging precariously. I passed them, made a U-turn and ran back up behind them, my good arm extended out to grab Tails limp frame. What a workout. As I felt my hand grab my friends', I shouted quickly.

"Grab on!"

Knuckles knew ahead of time and had already latched onto my good arm as well, being this was all taking place in the frame of a second. My speed delivered all three of us to the solid ground safely above in which I deposited my two passengers. Before I could even say anything, however, a low howl of air rumbled passed us. The storm was barreling down, fast.

"Sonic!" Knuckles shouted over the wind as he gestured toward Tails, "Take him and get out of here."

"But what about you?" I asked, though I already knew what he was going to say. I collected Tails as best I could as he smirked.

"Don't worry about me. I can keep up. Now, go!"

I was a bit hesitant. Did he not see the size and speed of that thing? Then again, I had confidence in my rival's abilities and was sure if anyone could make it, it was Knuckles. I smirked back.

"Alright, stay right behind me. I'm heading this way," I yelled, indicating my direction by running that way. This was getting crazy and wild, just enough to spice up life. I had the little guy over my shoulder, the echidna following (with incredibly more speed than the first time around), and . . .

"Sonic! Look out!"

I heard a shout from near my head sound out. It was Tails! That meant he's awake and he's okay. This is great! Wait . . . he said 'look out'. Suddenly, a large object fell to my right, missing us by inches and leaving a plume of orange dust in its wake. It was a boulder from what I could tell.

"What the . . ?" I said impulsively as more rocks, dirt clods and small metal scraps began pelting us. I looked up at Tails and briefly smiled.

"You alright, buddy?"

"Yeah, but my head hurts."

"Well, don't worry about moving, I got ya, but you might want to hold on!"

I did my best to outmaneuver the bigger chunks, listening for their decent, but there was so many and now it . . . it's overwhelming. Ah, but there's hope in sight; literally. I can see the mountain pecks now and that meant shelter, not to mention food and water, were only a minute away. I had to alert Knuckles we were coming up on our safe ground so I relayed the message up to Tails, never taking my eyes or ears off our current situation.

"Knuckles!" Tails shouted behind me, "Sonic, says don't worry, we're almost there!"

"Sonic! Tails! It's not a storm! It's a machine!"

Upon hearing Knuckles shout back, I slowed down considerably and turned around to face the echidna, still jogging backward mind you. Knuckles came up next to me just as I noticed his previous observation. What loomed in the distance appeared to be a tractor on a humongous scale. This thing was wicked tall, with sharp rotor blades cutting into the earth, causing boulders, rocks, and dust to fly in all directions.

"Sonic!" Tails shouted. I quickly interpreted his yell as something was obscuring our path that I was about to plow into it. I dodged to the left and turned to run forward again as I saw the boulder we had missed moved behind.

"Will you watch where you're going," Knuckles stated, hotly. Yeah, as soon as I'm done freakin' out. Nothing like life-threatening danger to get the old blood pumping. To be honest, I thrive on this stuff, but this is worse, much worse than our previous scenario. A machine. That meant one thing and one thing only, Eggman. This was going to be a little more . . . complicated than the old run for the hills plan. The mountain range would have protected us from a desert storm, but could it stop this mechanical monster behind us? I can hear the gears and pistons turning and pumping in this thing now, and it's gaining. New plan; we need to . . .

"Ahh-ouch!"

My arm. No! Before I knew it, my footing faltered. My footing. Just a split second stumbling in my pace, and for the first time in months, I tripped sending me and Tails into a rolling tumble along the ground. Whirling, rolling. Where's Tails? Ouch, I can't breathe, I can't move.

"Sonic!" Knuckles yelled as I could see his shadow running up next to me. It's so blurry. I tried to get up, but it felt like something had me pinned. I tried to listen to Knuckles, to Tails, but all I could hear was the overgrown tractor dismantling the earth and ringing. Then I heard Knuckles shout.

"I . . . dig . . . will . . . out," was all I could hear, everything's going blurry. Now, I see black spots, white spots . . . can't see. I must be passing out, because . . . be . . . cause . . .


	3. Chapter 3

It's too late; he's out and crushed.

Shoot.

Tails was all right, thank goodness, but he's out again too. Okay, okay; I have to get this thing off Sonic. I quickly rolled the boulder off of the hedgehog and checked to make sure he was still breathing. It's so loud I couldn't tell. Yes, yes he was. I could see his chest rising and falling, but dang it's shallow and weak. This wasn't good. It figures I'd be the one left with the task of getting our butts out of this mess. With both of them out of commission, how? . . . I can't run fast enough to get myself out of here let alone carry them as well. So, I guess that left me with one option . . . I'm going to have to dig our way out.

"Shovel Claw!"

Without hesitation, I ripped into the sand, praying it wouldn't collapse as I tunneled in at a 45-degree angle. There was almost nothing more unstable to dig through than sand, but, given the circumstances, I'd rather get buried in the ground than ground up. Once I dug about three yards in, I began digging straight down knowing it was those tillers we needed to avoid. Come on, come on, come on . . . there. That should be deep enough. I quickly scaled back out of my-made hole and grabbed my frien . . . well, Tails and Sonic, and carried them down into my temporary shelter.

My work wasn't done yet though. I began to dig into the wall of my tunnel aware of the machine rolling closer. The ground was shaking from the size and momentum of that thing and it wouldn't be long before the first shaft buckled. I dug horizontally for at least five meters before I had to drag Sonic and Tails over my mounds of dirt to the cavern I had created. Just as I did that, sand poured down the first tunnel burying us from the outside world. I guess you could say, burying us alive.

At least, its cool down here. Thanks for little miracles. Plus, we're safe for now. Ha, but now I can't see. I know soon I'll have to dig us out of here due to lack of oxygen, but that tractor is still going overhead. Luckily, the sand down here is packed tight, probably from years of past sediment and brief rainstorms. Well, I waited and waited and still waited and that thing is still traveling over us.

Geez, we're running out of air. Mmm, this is going to be a lot trickier then I thought. If it were just me, I could be out of here in no time, but with them. I turned my head to the still forms breathing behind me. If I dig out I'd have to keep moving them so they wouldn't get buried, but that's almost impossible in such a tight space. Maybe digging out wasn't the best move after all but it's too late now, I just need to think of a way to . . .

Suddenly, the ground just stops shaking as if the tractor has stopped. In fact, I can hear the machine whirring and exhaust to a halt. I wondered what's going on. Did they know we were here? More importantly, were they coming after us? I strained to listen underneath all the sand, hoping to hear signs of the engine starting up and moving on, but, instead, all I could hear was silence. It's the kind that's irritating as the ringing nothingness drilled into my ears. Arrgg, what the heck was going on, darn it! Okay, calm down . . . Geez, it's getting hot down here, not to mention a little stuffy. We're loosening air. If I don't start movin' now, we will be in some serious trouble.

I started to dig up, making sure not to bury Tails and Sonic as best I could being I was unable to exactly see them and all when I noticed it was really starting to heat up the further I got to the surface. This couldn't be good. Something was wrong and the instant I retracted my hand to stop digging, I could tell why. My hand was covered in some liquid. A hot liquid, I might add, as I could now feel it seeping through my gloves. Crap! I couldn't see it, but I could tell by the smell it was oil and that it was slowly working its way in around us. Not Good! I scrambled back down to the guys and was surprised to hear a startled yelp.

"Get off my tails," I heard a cry from the young fox and quickly took back my offending foot.

"Tails? You're awake."

"Yeah. Where are we, Knuckles?" he asked, "Why is it so dark?"

"We're underground. I had to get away from the machine, somehow."

"Oh, well, where's Sonic? Is he okay?"

I sighed. He was always worried about that blue hedgehog, but I guess someone should look out for the reckless idiot. Regardless, the true concern was evident in his slightly shaken voice.

"Yeah, he's okay, Tails. He's right beside you. I think?" I stated. I could hear him feel around for Sonic and, for some reason, this instantly reminded me of the oil trap we were in.

"Tails? Are you strong enough to carry Sonic? Better yet, try and wake him up," I commanded a little more urgently then I meant to.

"Sonic, wake up," I heard Tails say as the sound of shuffling reached my ears.

"He won't wake up, but I think I can drag him, why?" he asked, more for direction and guidance on what to do than out of curiosity of the situation.

"Look, we have to get out of here and fast. I think the machine is dumping oil over us and if we don't move it we're done for," I explained, "So follow me. I'm going to dig deeper. Hopefully, far enough down where the oil can't reach us. Ready, Tails?"

"Ready."

I began shoveling through the sand traveling diagonally down so Tails could follow safely. As I grunted under the physical strain of digging which actually provided a way for Tails to listen and follow, I could faintly hear the fox maneuvering down the tunnel behind me, letting out his own grunts of strain as he dragged Sonic along. Then it crossed my mind. Is he okay? Tails, only moments before, was totally unconscious and feverish.

"Hey, Tails, you feelin' alright."

"Yeah, I can do it. I'm fine," he responded in a shaky voice. I could tell it was labored but I had to admire the kid's persistence. I was still concerned about his condition and, sadly enough, I was a little concerned for the hedgehog as well. Sonic wasn't one to KO easily and certainly not for long periods of time, but it's now going on twenty minutes, at least, and I haven't even heard a groan from him. I hope that rock didn't do more damage then I thought. Then again I didn't really have time to look him over properly.

"Knuckles?" I heard Tails choke out. He sounded exhausted and pained. I stopped digging and quickly turned around, though I knew it was pointless. I couldn't see him anyway.

"What is it, Tails? Whoa, slow down," I directed as he stumbled into me. As I steadied him a bit, I could tell he was sweating profusely and that he was more than just a bit winded.

"Knuck . . . Knuckles . . . I can't . . ."

I understood.

"Look, Tails, just rest here with Sonic, okay," I said, leaning him up against the tunnel. I could feel the poor fox's muscles relax under my grip as he made contact with the cool sand walls of the burrow. This was starting to get serious, again. Just another courtesy of the reckless blue heap next to my feet. Why had he brought Tails? If the fox was ill or suffering from some kind of heat exhaustion, I needed to get him to some kind of water and food and plants of medical capability if possible, and better sooner then later.

"Okay, Knuckles," Tails finally replied. For a moment, I had to think, okay what. But then there was Sonic. Even if he's a moron, I'd still like to know if he were all right. Dang it, I wish I could see! This was frustrating enough without having a hot oil bath coming down around us. I have to think quickly though because, on top of it all, we're still running out of air and it wouldn't be long before carbon dioxide poisoning took place. My only option was to dig up and out. We had to reach the surface.

"Tails, stay down here, I'm heading up," I stated, and before he could say anything I was boring back up to the surface. I decided to use a different method by spinning with my fist extended, acting as a drill and pushing loosened sand back into the walls of the newly formed tunnel. It was difficult to keep a constant barrel roll as I headed up. Heh, what a workout. I could feel the oil now, but luckily I'm going fast enough it's not burning me and being forced away, back into the walls. I kept on digging in my slated line towards the surface wondering how far it was until I hit something hard. Ouch, that sure wasn't sand anymore. I placed a hand on what I hit and determined it must be stone.

"Well, that's no problem to get through," I snickered as I cracked my knuckles, but wait? It was cool around here. Maybe this stone is blocking the oil from getting through. Yes, this was perfect. We could all rest underneath this thing and then maybe I could drill an air hole out of the side of it. This could work.

_Bubble. Bubble._ What was that? Suddenly, the sound of water gushing up from down below filled my ears. Water? Shoot! Tails! . . . Sonic! I quickly scrambled back down and about halfway I was shocked to find myself impacting icy cold liquid. To be completely honest, it felt good to have a little relief from the heat, but nothing eased my mind of the fact Tails and an unconscious Sonic were down there. To add on to my worries the water was rising at an alarming rate. Darn it all, I must have dug down to some kind of underground spring or something. I took a deep breath and dove under, swimming through my tunnel. Where are they? Dang it, why? It's too dark to see and experience has taught me water plus darkness equals confusion and a confusion of which way was up or down led to a quick drowning with no mercy.

Suddenly, something latches onto my hand as I had it extended for another stroke. I was a bit unnerved by the spontaneous action and almost gasped until I realized doing so underwater isn't a good idea. Besides, it's Tails. I can tell because it's a small hand on mine. I quickly turned around and made for air. As soon as our heads broke the surface Tails started sputtering and choking out panicked words and desperate pleas.

"Sonic! I . . . I couldn't . . . find him, Knuckles! He's still down there! Knuckles!"

Just as he got those words out, our heads smacked into the stone I had discovered earlier. Geez, this water's rising fast!

"I have to get through this rock, but . . ."

"I'll get, Sonic," Tails stated determinedly.

"Wait, Tails, maybe I can just dig us . . . I can't."

If I dug now it would just fill up and collapse most likely. I was surprised my previous tunnels were surviving so well but up here the sand was loose and it was already falling off in chunks. To be honest, I didn't want Tails going back under. I could swim so much better than him and I'm not bragging. But, if I don't get through this rock now . . .

"Trust me, Knuckles, I'll be back," Tails said, and, before I could protest, he was gone making a dive under, hoping to find and rescue the blue hedgehog. I turned up, ready to punch through the boulder not knowing what was on the other side. What if I break through and there's nothing but a wave of crude oil up there or what if the machine starts back up again or what if there's more sand. But the water is rising and we'll drown if I don't make a way out. Hopefully, the water will push away some of the oil. I slammed into the rock with my fists sending pieces of the stone behind me as I hammered on through. As I did, I could feel the water coming up with me, licking the bottom of my shoes as I went up, hopefully, to the surface.

Bang! My last punch allowed sunlight to pour in, blinding me. I shielded my eyes from the intense light and . . . Whoa!

"Ahhhhhhhh!" I shouted. Before I even had time to think, the water shot up like one of those geysers I've seen on the island, sending me up into the air. I couldn't see, couldn't hear and sure as heck couldn't get my bearings. Then I fell as the water pressure dropped and I became faintly aware of a soft cry to my left. I turned my head in that direction and could make out Tails flailing about as so must I be doing before I hit the ground. Rough landing, but I was fine for the most part . . . wait. I ran my hand through the sand. No oil. I quickly looked up to see the back of the giant tracker.

I could now tell it was definitely Eggman's with that stupid emblem of his own head plastered all over it. I could feel the raw rage surge up in my veins just by looking at the design of the old fat man and mustache. So many times . . . he's tricked me, stolen the emeralds from their rightful place, destroyed the lives, peace, and happiness of those he claims to conquer, and for what . . . I stood to my feet and could hear myself growl involuntarily as I scoped out my surroundings. The geyser had subsided to nothing more than an overflowing cup, the land around me was soft and marred by the tillers and Tails was slowly lifting himself up . . . Tails!

I ran over to him and helped him up. We both were soaked but we okay. He blinked up at me, looking a bit refreshed from the water, before turning his eyes out on to our location. Upon spotting the large machine his eyes narrowed in anger and annoyance. The fox had reason to be frustrated with the evil buffoon as much, or more, as I did. Though I wasn't familiar with Tails' past, it appeared there was a long-standing resentment there, sort of like Sonic. Sonic! It appears Tails was thinking the same thing as his eyes widened in pure panic.

"Knuckles, I had him but . . . then . . . where is he?!"

I looked back to the hole and sighed. It had been a long time, several minutes, at least. But, darn it, if that hedgehog's still alive, I'm gonna get him out.

"Don't know, but I'll find out," I ran up to our previous exit, took in a deep breath, and dove in. I swam at a rapid pace, being a relatively good swimmer; grant it, the light of the sun helped as well to guide me down the tunnel . . . I hope I'm not too late. Then my heart sank . . . seriously, making me feel like I was drowning. The tunnel had collapsed, blocking me from going any further. I tried digging through but the sandy substance just kept filling back in. I tried again and again and again and again until I couldn't see right until my face turned blue.

Sonic. NO! I could feel my face flush red with what I didn't know. I'm angry, pissed off; I could kill someone, no . . . just, No!

I'm too late. I let out a frustrated breath of air through clenched teeth not caring I was letting air out. No one can survive this long and Sonic was unconscious, he can't swim, he's buried under a pile of suffocating sand. Why did I dig so far down? What if he's . . . dead. What about Tails? This is my fault . . . no. I know better than that. This is no one's but . . . Eggman. I'll kill him. I'll Kill Him!

I shot back up, swimming faster than I ever have, breaking the surface in a fury. I wanted revenge and I knew where to get it. I was certainly tired of Eggman and his Empire and tired of the destruction that came with it. I had no problem in killing that . . . but Sonic always did and now, it cost the hedgehog his life. Well, this time the doctor's gone too far, way too far, and he was going to pay dearly if it was the last thing I ever did. But, I didn't plan on dying too, did I? No, this couldn't be a suicide mission. I had to guard the Master Emerald which was my first priority . . . Sonic . . .

I side glanced to my left and noticed the young fox staring at me and knew then what I really was going to do.


	4. Chapter 4

I could tell by the way he's looking at me that . . . that . . . no. It couldn't be. Couldn't happen. He couldn't be gone. Not Sonic, not Sonic the Hedgehog. He has done so much more, gotten into so much more trouble and gotten back out again; saved us all so many times. Drowned, in a hole . . .

That wasn't right, something's not right. Knuckles didn't look hard enough. Not good enough. Where was he; where?!

"Where is he?" I asked, trying to bite back the strain in my voice. I was trying to be strong, but why? For what?

"Tails," he said low, almost as if he really wasn't speaking to me. Then he fell silent as if his voice was stuck in his throat but finally he spoke again.

"You can either come with me to fight or I'll stay here with you."

I was shocked to hear this and I could feel my lips quivering from stress. He was hinting to what I feared. Knuckles was not one to joke around, nor was he dramatic which is completely different from Sonic. I couldn't hold back the tears that were now coming to my eyes. I was thankful he had his back to me; I didn't want to be seen now. Pain; I wanted to scream, but instead, I whimpered. Denial, I wanted to run over to that hole and retrieve the evidence for myself, but instead, my legs buckled and I fell to my knees. Hope, I wanted him to punch right through the sand, triumphant as always, with his smile and thumbs up. I almost laughed at the image in my head, but instead, nothing but the wind whipping over the dry land. There was no 'It'll take more than that to stop this hedgehog' or the sound of running feet traveling well past normal speed towards me. There was no Sonic.

Knuckles hadn't said a word; he was waiting, waiting for me to answer. I didn't have an answer; I didn't want to have to answer such a question. He just stood there, arms crossed and head tilted to one side as if deep in thought. Why? This couldn't be real? How could this happen? A dream; no a nightmare? Oh, Sonic, the last thing I can remember him saying was 'Don't worry guys'.

Don't worry. Don't worry?! For a moment, a split second, I was angry at him. Yes, how could you do this Sonic! You lied! That's when the tears really began pouring out. I wanted to stop but they just kept coming. What am I doing? He didn't know, he was only trying to encourage us like he always did . . . did, not does . . . I covered my face with my hands. No.

'Tails, you can come or stay.' Knuckles' question came back to mind. Eggman. He did this, he always did this. Well, now . . .

"I'm coming with you," I whispered, not wanting the sound of my sniffles to be heard. Knuckles turned slightly to me as if he was not expecting an answer at all. For some reason, that fired me up. Of course, I was coming. I was not going to let that crazy fool of a doctor have that kind of victory over Sonic; never.

"Are you sure?" he asked low again.

"Yes. Yes, I am."

I stood up, equally serious. I was ready to fight. Then, as if I had gotten stabbed in the heart, a pang of guilt rattled me. Sonic died because I couldn't hold onto him. The one time he needed me, the one time he couldn't defend himself, and I failed him in an ultimate way. I felt paralyzed; sickly stiff with shame.

"Tails, it is not your fault. He knew how dangerous . . ."

I looked up at Knuckles as he trailed off, surprised by how sorrowful his face looked. How did he know I was blaming myself? But then I recognized the look of guilt in his eyes and knew how. We were blaming ourselves. Even though I knew in my head it wasn't really our fault, deep down it still felt like it. Had I not passed out or slowed down or let go; had I not . . . If only . . . however . . .

"If we're going to stop Eggman we need to go now," Knuckles stated. We can't have any regrets; no complaints. Sonic always said regrets fogged the mind and slowed ya down, but how could you not regret.

"Right," I mustered a reply.

"Then, let's go."

Without a second thought, I whirled my namesakes in a fashion that lifted me over Knuckles. I scooped him up from underneath the arms and began an ascent to the huge vehicle before us. Oddly enough, just as we landed on the platform leading to the ship's inner workings, it started up and began moving forward. I looked back down at the hole which was still filled with water. A part of me wanted to stay, wanted to keep looking.

What was I doing, leaving him there like that? But the more logical, rational part of me knew we had to stop Eggman and that it had been too long, way too long. If Sonic is gone, there was nothing we could do, nothing. Still, my heart hoped against hope he was alive, and, if he was, he would come back.

As the vehicle moved further away from the whole scene, I could feel my heart being pulled out of me as if it would always rest there where Sonic was; never to leave his side. But I know he would want us to continue our fight against evil if he were standing here. He would say to go on without him if he could and that's what I planned on doing . . . even if it hurts. I guess, even if it kills me.

"Tails?" Knuckles beaconed from his position down the hall. I quickly wiped the new tears which had formed at the corners of my eyes. I needed to stop crying if I was going to help Knuckles take down Eggman. If I'm upset I won't be able to think straight and wouldn't be any help at all. I turned to him and nodded, showing my attention and commitment to the task. As I ran up to him, I looked around quickly trying my best to push my friend's death out of my mind . . . I focused on finding a means to break into the main energy source. Usually, Eggman would either have it at the head of the machine or down at its core. Being this thing was pretty large and the doctor hadn't made his presence known, the latter is probably correct.

"Knuckles, I think we should try and find the engine core," I suggested as I ran up next to him.

"Mmm. The chaos emerald would probably be near the power source," he said, glancing down at me before turning his head up to gaze down the long hall ahead of us. I wondered if he thought it was near the center as well?

"I think we need to go towards the center of this machine."

"Yeah, the oil from earlier must have been coming from the middle, at least. Let's go."

Before I knew it, Knuckles had taken off down the long corridor, leaving me for only a moment as I quickly whirled my tails and caught up. As we traveled down to who knew where and I listened to Knuckles occasionally shout a direction change or two, I couldn't help but think it odd that no robots were attacking us. None. I didn't even see so much as a laser gun attached to a stick, let alone a bot. To be honest, it was a little unnerving and strange, almost like a . . . trap.

"Dang it!" Knuckles snapped as he stopped abruptly as did I.

"It's a trap, Knuckles."

"I know and we're playing right into it," he growled as he clenched his fists. Before I could respond, the sound of grating metal and hissing hydraulics reached our ears. There was a door somewhere and it was closing; not good.

"Get out!" Knuckles shouted as he quickly ran forward. I followed. When we got closer to the end of the hall we could see the sliding door soundly lock into place. However, right above the door was a glass panel leading to the other side. Without having to say a word, I hastily picked Knuckles up and flew him to the glass where he made short work of the window, breaking through. As glass rained down from the impact of his fist, cameras swiveled in our direction. I was about to panic as I set Knuckles down on the other side, but he put a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry. He already knew we were here, so, let's not keep our host waiting," he smirked holding up his fists dangerously. But then a frown overtook him and I could feel one press itself onto my features. Sonic would have said something like that . . . Why did this have to be so hard? I could feel the heaviness in my heart along with the dullness of my mind. Maybe attacking immediately wasn't the best idea, but I was so angry; still was. I scowled up at Knuckles feeling the renewed rage and determination build in me. If I could channel all my frustration into stopping this machine; right this horrible wrong, then I was set.

"Let's go," I voiced loudly as, for the first time in a while, I lead the charge. Unlike earlier, robots started to work their way to us. A few at first, but steadily increasing in number. Knuckles and I had no problem in overpowering the army as the tin men basically fell apart at the hands of Knuckles and my aerial attacks but the deeper we went the more that came. In fact, it was getting to the point where we were actually scratching and injuring ourselves on the heaps of scraped metal as we destroyed the bots.

"Knuckles?" I panted. I was now too tired to fly and almost losing the energy to stand. I could also see the toll it was taking on Knuckles as he made his way over to me punching and tripping on the robot hoard. This was crazy and dangerous. With Sonic's speed, we would have blown past all these slow ups and drag downs in no time, but he wasn't here and the consequences of that were outnumbering us a hundred to one. Finally, the echidna made it to me just as I had my final lick on a robot. I was too tired. I didn't know why, but everything . . . thing is spinning . . . I know I can hold out longer . . . with Eggman's robots, I've beaten more before. Knuckles grabbed my arm. He's pulling me. He tells me to hang on. I feel sick . . . no . . . Sonic . . .


	5. Chapter 5

Where is that hedgehog? I know he's here! But where? I've flipped through these monitors, at least, eighteen times, maybe more, and I still haven't seen one hair of that prickly blue rat. For being the self-proclaimed fastest thing alive, he surely isn't very punctual now, is he? Mmm, the fox and echidna are here though. They wouldn't be here if he wasn't, or would they? I may be mistaken. They have attacked separately in the past. However . . . I zoom the camera in, adjusting the lens so I can have a better look at my two intruders. Tails is clearly not in a state to battle. The pathetic furball is stumbling all about as Knuckles practically drags him along; to safety I presume.

This is unusual; seeing as Sonic is nowhere to be found and yet his friends are clearly in over their heads. How can this be? I know for a fact both Tails and the hedgehog were dropped out here earlier. Besides, Sonic and Tails are inseparable when it comes to battle. Why is the fox here but not him? Where Knuckles came from is anyone's guess, but Sonic not running to the rescue is plain unheard of and intolerable. How dare he send these two in and not come himself? What an insult. Am I not challenging enough?

Or, is this some kind of ploy to get me to let my guard down. Either way, I want an explanation for this, and possibly a chance to test out the new devices I've created. I'll capture Tails and Knuckles, use them as bait to lure the hedgehog out, and finally have him in my grasp. We'll see if he measures up to the Egg RTM30.

"Now, how to catch poor Knuckles and Tails," I say in mock concern as I flip a switch to my right immediately emitting a clear gas into the chamber said fox and echidna were in. I've never really used chemical warfare before, but there's a first time for everything. Besides, this anesthetic gas is practically harmless to its victims, unless they have a preexisting heart condition. Eh, at least it works swiftly. As I watch the echidna's futile attempts at escape from the invisible assailant before finally succumbing to its forced rest, I deploy a small troop of robots out to gather them up and bring them to me in the higher level. I stand up from my chair as I wait for my guests to arrive. We'll prepare some nice holding cells and restraints for the prisoners; want to make sure they're comfortable. I also want to make sure they'll be extra secure and, more importantly, silent so I can lure Sonic into my trap with no warning.

The standard restraints of steel shackles and wrist chains should do a satisfactory job in holding down the two-tailed wonder fox, but as for the echidna . . . Well, this very special titanium, diamond reinforced cell with nylon ropes covered in steel mesh should keep Knuckles busy. Even if these measures aren't enough, there is always giving them a second dose of sleeping aid to keep them out of the way.

Ah, here are my visitors now. I can't help but laugh with glee at the opportunity I've been given. It isn't every day that an evil genius such as myself has all the cards in his hands and, with the capture of my enemy's greatest allies, the ball was in my court. Sonic has no choice but to surrender. Grant it, the hedgehog has managed to rescue others from my grasp before and do it quite fantastically, I must admit . . . but then where is he now? Normally, the little pin-cushion would already be outside, throwing insults up to me about my new creation.

No matter, I'll bring him out soon enough. Either he doesn't know of his friend's position or he's forming some kind of plan to get them out, though the latter doesn't strike me as the hedgehog's style or his strong point, for that matter.

I order my robotic creations to lock up the prisoners in their respective units, taking the liberty of having them gagged in their unconscious state. I smirk and make my way back over to my dignified seat at the controls of the RTM30 and settle in comfortably before switching on my hologram screen. With this device, not only can I see the one-hundred square miles of desert wasteland around me, but that same scorched earth can now see a one-hundred-by-eighty-foot image of myself on a hologram. It can also hear the sound of my magnificent voice on several speakers scattered about my awe-inspiring machine fortress.

"Oh, Sonic," I speak in a sing-song voice, knowing that this always irritates the little blue fuzzball. Not that I will ever admit this or dare say it to the hedgehog himself, but it was like calling out a pet to come and play. I glance back and forth on my monitors, anticipating the blue streak I knew had to be on its way. However, after several seconds, and no sight of my fleet-footed adversary . . . well, how can this be?

Never.

Never has it taken this long for him to respond. Even if he was ignoring me, he would show up and ignore me in person, but not come at all?

"Sonic! I don't know what kind of little game your playing, but if you don't show yourself, and I mean soon, I'm afraid your friends here will have to suffer the consequences," I threatened, moving away slightly to give anyone watching a clear view of Tails and Knuckles behind me. The threat, at this point, was hollow but Sonic didn't know that, and I just want him to come out, that's all. I wait, and wait, and wait. Nothing.

Nothing! He should be here already! His friends . . . he always comes running . . . Where is that infuriating hedgehog?

"Sonic, this is your last warning. Come out now or prove yourself the coward you are," I boom, making sure my voice drips with disgust. I am not to be insulted and his absence to my challenge was nothing less than a slap in the face.

His rude remarks I can regard. His attitude I can handle and accept. I will tolerate the hedgehog's insane antics and sometimes obscene gestures with a measure of salt, but absence . . . it is unlike him to play hide and seek and nor is he a coward; experience has taught me that. Still, the blue one is nowhere in sight. I quickly change camera angles to the sides and rear of my machine to see if he is possibly making a sneak attack; again not like him. I can hear a sigh of frustration leave my lips as the search turns up nothing.

Maybe the report was mistaken and he really isn't here, but then why are they here? I turn to look at Knuckles and Tails who are still sound asleep, though not peacefully. They, especially the fox, wouldn't be here if he wasn't. Surely, they had enough sense not to wander into one of the largest deserts around without a purpose.

Something is amiss. Something's . . . something's wrong here. But why am I worried? He'll show once I commence the drilling and then . . . then . . . no. Something isn't right and I know it. I can feel it. I don't know why, but, for some reason, I don't think he'll show up at all.

"I must know," I mutter to myself as I quickly stand up and walk over to a simple switch across the room. It is encased in plexiglass to prevent any accidental activation. This tiny component would trigger one of the largest drills all kind has ever seen. With it, I could construct the largest tunnel system, linking coast to coast with underground caverns that would later be used to obtain what I truly desired; world domination. With tunnels under every major city and thousands upon thousands of gallons of crude oil running through them along with tons of explosives planted along the way . . . well, the world would have to surrender to my will and power or taste the crust of the earth when I'm done with them. I would show all those fools the true scientific power of this and any other age belonged to Dr. Eggman.

Mmm, usually Sonic made it more interesting and challenging to accomplish my endeavors, if not impossible. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The hedgehog has caused me to expand my abilities and test my knowledge, if not my patience. If it wasn't for the irritating little creature, I never would have dreamed of creating half the things I currently have under my belt.

"It would appear I owe him something, now wouldn't it?" I smirk as I lift the glass case and press down the switch, starting the initiation process. I could hear the rumble and whistle of the powerful device I built and designed lower out of its hidden compartment; music to my ears. I ran to the screen to witness my drill extend out in the front of the ship and level with the ground, but, with no sign of Sonic, it's a bit anti-climatic. It was more enjoyable with the blue hedgehog there, I'll admit.

This . . . just isn't what I had in mind. To be honest, I want the competition, that's why I came out here where he was so I could . . . mmm. I glance sideways to the teal emerald on my left; the power source for this drill. It glows brightly as if anticipating its use, but the fact that it's a light blue object doesn't help me with my Sonic dilemma. So, once the drill is fully out and in place, I quietly turn off the entire tractor.

I don't know why, but I just want the silence from the motors and gears for a moment. I can hear the machine hiss and whirl to a stop, making cracks and pops as the heat escapes from the steel and iron holding it all together. As the sound of my robotic underlings scurrying around the ship reaches my ears, I can't help but think of my first real encounter with the speed demon. In fact, I remember asking myself 'What the devil was that?'

A diminutive, little pipsqueak back then; barely able to crack the finish on my robots, let alone blow them to bits as he does now. But I had admired his determination and perseverance then and fear his stubbornness now. To be honest, the first few weeks I just played along with the young furball, not even knowing what he was. The hedgehog who so 'fiercely' challenged me with his tiny feet of fury. Quite laughable to watch the blue get knocked out of him the first few days and even more amusing that, each day, he would come back for more punishment and humiliation after licking his wounds.

However, his fumbling mistakes were being corrected daily and it wasn't long till his attacks became more controlled; his blocks and dodges more controlled; his entire body more controlled. Soon he had mastered something that has kept me from world conquest more times then I can count. That horrid spin. Spin dash, spin attack, spin jump. Just the curling up of that tiny woodland animal has spelled the disaster for millions of robotic marvels over the ages, big and small. But that wasn't the worst part because with the spin, came the grin. I can still remember that first smile, starting as a basking in his victory, a level of untouchable confidence, but then he soon turned to my eggpod with a smirk in his eye and a taunt in his mouth.

Thus, Sonic the Hedgehog was born to me.


	6. Chapter 6

Pain.

Oh, my head hurts. Both my arms and legs . . . can't move. Why is it so quiet? Where am I? What happened? Let's see . . . I can't see much.

"Mmm."

Something's in my mouth; I can't talk. Wait! Robots. Fighting with Knuckles . . . Sonic! My eyes nearly pop out of my head when I realize where I am and why I'm here. Eggman must have captured us. I manage to turn my head to the right and see Knuckles in a strange capsule, completely tied down by strange-looking ropes and passed out, judging by his slumped posture. I blink a few times to get the white blurry mucus out of them before I turn my head to look directly in front of me. I must be on some kind of slanted table because I can see the back of Eggman's fat, bald head from here. I glare at him, wishing I had laser vision but remaining silent, not wanting to draw his attention to me now being awake.

I look down at my hands and then my feet. They were bound by shackles fastened down to the large piece of metal I was lying on. Oh, this isn't good.

More silence.

I'm afraid. Hopelessness. What can I do? Come on, think, think! There must be a way out of this . . . mmm . . . I can't think. I just . . . I failed you Sonic. I've tried measuring up to you, I've tried impressing you, but even with my new independence, everything I've learned; it isn't enough. It's never enough. Never enough. I feel the lump developing in my throat but I'm not going to cry; I'm not going to show Eggman weakness. Never. I will find a way out of this. I swish my tails in determination to my resolve of not showing anything less than courage to the enemy. Then, it hit me. My tails weren't tied down. How could Eggman skip over such an obvious thing?

I don't know why, but I'm not complaining. His mistake; my favor. Now, how to use this to my advantage?

But, before I could come up with anything, the evil doctor got up from his chair, so, I quickly flopped down, pretending to be asleep, though I don't know what purpose or benefit it'll serve me just yet. I risk squinting open one eye to see what he's doing and regret doing so. I'm nearly scared out of my fur to find him right next to me, though, he's not looking at me directly, thank goodness. I shut my eye and try to calm my racing heart and breathing. That was too close . . .

"I know your awake, Tails."

Now, I can feel my blood freeze, turning to ice in my veins. Man, he gives me the creeps. I'm not afraid though; just surprised. So, why am I having trouble opening my eyes and facing him? Even Sonic once told me that it's okay to be scared but I sure didn't feel okay right now. This mad lunatic's wanted to kill us for years and now he has us, captured and without you Sonic, we're . . . we're . . . what's he doing? Eggman is removing my gag?

"Where is he?"

Again another surprise. I open my eyes slowly to see him still standing there, hands behind his back, and an eerie expression on his face. He's gonna kill me! I am going to die! There's no going back for me . . . wait. Where is he? What does he mean? Does he mean Sonic? What kind of sick question is that? How dare he even ask that. How dare he ask that!

"How dare you!" the words explode from my mouth, my heart before I even have a chance to think. I'm satisfied by his taken aback look though and wish I could have done more. That's how I felt. The outrage; to ask where is he like he meant it when he knew full well what happened. Sonic's dead and it's all because of him. I glare harshly at him. The greatest hero, greatest friend, brother. Everything, gone. Sonic my best friend. What did I do to lose such a good . . . You . . . you . . .

"Murderer," I whisper low and deep, feeling the hisses of bitterness and the growls of disgust build in the back of my throat. It's enough to drive me to bite at him if he comes too close. I can hear my blood boiling through the dead silence now hanging in the room. I can't see his eyes because of those stupid goggles he wears but . . . looking at his eyebrows and the position of his mouth . . . he appears to be confused.

Confused?

Like he doesn't even know what he's done. He . . . doesn't even know what he's done.

I can't think . . . I can't understand. He's the enemy, he killed Sonic. How can he not know what he's done, how . . . can I explain . . . should I explain? Did he really mean to kill Sonic, yes of course he did, what else is Eggman always trying to do?

I could feel my face and body lose its angry vigor, being replaced with sadness. Eggman is only part of the cause, a part of me knows, blames, points, and jeers me. I let go of Sonic. My emotions begin spinning again. Angry, I'm angry! Frustrated, I hate this! Sadness, he's gone. Guilt . . .

"I had him . . . and I let go," I said forgetting where I was, forgetting who was next to me, forgetting myself, "Sonic!"

I can feel the hot tears well in the corners of my eyes now, trying not to let them spill. But as I look around and see no sign of the rescue, the rescue I had held out in my heart, the tears come down and I can't stop. I want to stop . . . I want it to stop . . . but it can't. I can't.

* * *

Where is all that noise coming from?

Sounds like Tails . . . if he were crying. I open my eyes and try to sit up, but I'm restrained? Eggman! It has to be, but where is . . . There!

"Mmm."

I can't yell? My mouth's gagged. What the . . . wait. Tails is crying . . .

"Where's Sonic? This crying act isn't going to make me show mercy, you know, so you might as well quit. Where is he?!" Eggman shouted. I want to rip his throat out! Let me at em! I pull against my restraints, not caring about the ropes, chains, or whatever the heck they are, digging into my wrists and ankles. How dare that fat-faced, bald-headed monster . . . harass Tails! NO, not after what happened; not on my watch.

_Crack. Ping. Pop._ I can hear the moaning of my shackles, feeling more propelled to pull and strain against them until, finally, they succumb to my persuasion. I rise to my feet, nearly smacking my head into the ceiling . . . wait. No, what the . . .?

I slam my fist into one side of the dang cell that held me back. Tearing the gag from my mouth, I begin punching at the glass, trying to find a way out of here. Cussing and swearing, I can feel my blood boil. I've never been so . . . ticked off in my entire life! I know I should be trying to keep my cool and that I'm looking like a madman, but I am! It feels good to release my anger into something physical.

Every time my fist makes contact with the translucent wall, the pain I did not feel, but instead, energy and strength. The memory of Sonic's motionless body. Eggman. I don't care what this is made of, I'm getting through it. So focused, so intent, my full concentration is going into the blur of my fists smacking and ricocheting till my vision is blurry and my hearing muffled.

Is it really Egghead's fault? Yes, it is. Nagging, my thoughts remind me and jeer me on, sending my temper flaring. If Eggman is doing something or speaking now I can't hear him or see him, just the glass and . . . my reflection.

I could see my eyes and my pain and my guilt. It didn't belong there, I didn't want it there!

_'This was a stupid idea, Knuckles'. 'You should have known better than to attack so close to the incident'. 'Cool off, Knuckles.' 'Why are you so angry?'_

Because . . . Sonic's dead, anyone would be. I answer my head, but my eyes are betraying me. I punch my reflection again, but again it says pain and guilt, not anger.

_'Why are you so angry?'_

Because Eggman killed Sonic! I slam down again, feeling the cell around me shudder, which fills me with a desire to do it again and again. But it doesn't relieve the stress, the tension building up in my chest.

"Why are you so angry?!" Eggman shouts in a wavering voice. Because Sonic was so stupid and got himself killed. My punch flies fast and hard into the glass causing the wall to crack and my knuckles to bruise. The sensation in my chest, the pressure, is now in my throat, choking the air out of me, paralyzing my tongue, causing my eyes to ache. It . . . it hurts. It really hurts.

_'Why are you . . .'_

I'm angry because I dug down too deep in that ground. I didn't search hard enough for him. Sonic, I didn't save him. I let him die because I couldn't think. All those times . . . now . . .

"I FAILED!" I holler, blasting my suffering hand through the screen, sending shards of glass all about me, and tears? I can't remember the last time I cried. I had forgotten how it felt. However, I quickly cover it up with a snarl wiping the water off my face with the back of my battered hand. I failed . . .

"But, this time, I won't."

* * *

Either the knock out gas has had an adverse effect on them or . . . it's as I feared. Something more serious occurred. I peek out from around my service panel to see the echidna practically simmering from his position across from me. I know the guardian can lose his temper at times and that he is prone to act out violently, but never have I seen such a murderous air omit from him as it did now. Even Shadow couldn't match the fire in those eyes today. And Tails. I turn silently to the fox and notice he too is staring at Knuckles, but with a look of relief rather than terror as in my state. The fox is troubled though, terribly troubled . . .

"Knuckles," the little furball calls over, struggling a bit on the table. The echidna comes to the kid's aid and I can't help but think about the trouble I am in with both of them free. Mmm, but to call for assistance meant I would have to press the emergency button on the panel board or a switch on the four walls of this room. Unfortunately, those options meant I'd have to reach up out of my hiding place to do so and I didn't want to find out if Knuckles fists are faster than my robot servants.

"Where is he, Tails?"

"I'm not sure, he couldn't have left the room though," Tails says, somewhat unsure of himself, I can tell. I hear Knuckles snort in disgust before I hear his shoes stump around the floor.

"Eggman! Show yourself, Now!"

Yeah, right, knucklehead, and let you end my life today, ha. I am safe where I am due to the nature of the room's lighting and equipment, but for how long? Despite my current problem, something else plagues my mind . . .

Is Sonic dead? Is that vile, disgusting, irritating, smirk-faced, ever-present to foil my plans hedgehog gone? Years of fighting, planning, besting one another . . . gone? How? Of course, this is in theory. To know for sure I would need to ask, but I'm afraid the company to which I keep won't receive my question well at all.

Wait! Yes, my surveillance bot. I can see the red light mounted on its silver body go off alerting my forces to the breach. Ah-ha, if I play my cards right, I could get the information I want and keep my skin.

How can I come across as weak and willing to surrender? Ah, yes . . . flattery, but whether to come with dignity or shameful begging? I peek back out at Knuckles who's ruthlessly hunting for my whereabouts as I speak. Begging usually worked for him best but coming off as educated and dignified normally worked well when dealing with the two-tailed fox who, I must note, is equally as upset as the echidna.

Neither approach works when it comes to the hedgehog. It was straight to business with Sonic; the customary exchange of insults and plans. Mmm, Sonic . . . what if he really is? No, it can't be, it can't be! This just isn't . . . the time. Enough stalling. I'll just outright demand for my answer!

"Where is that blasted hedgehog?!" I thunder as I step out from my hiding position. I can feel my own temper trying to get away from me and I need to keep it in check. Wrathful thinking only leads to mistakes in judgment and right now, dealing with Knuckles face to face, mistakes aren't an option. But not knowing where Sonic is or if he's alive is driving me insane; insane I tell you!

From his position on the other side of the room, Knuckles turns to face me, eyes set and dancing with some emotion I can't identify; almost like a fire was quenched. I just calmly regard him, waiting for either a response or a violent action. I am shocked when he does neither. Instead, he advances towards me with slow, sure steps, glaring at me with hard eyes but lowered fists. To be honest, I'm more than a bit nervous. I didn't expect such a calm reaction from the guardian and, quite frankly, would have liked the raging storm rather than the silent volcano.

"Taking your head off isn't beneath me right now, so, I'm not fooling around. You don't know where he is, honestly?" the echidna asked darkly, giving me chills. I look beyond him at Tails and, at that moment, I receive my answer. They perceive him as dead. Sonic the Hedgehog is no more; just like that; without my knowledge.

_And there they stood, best friend, worthy rival and arch-nemesis in a still silence filled with a mutual awareness of what would have been the most tragic piece of history in their time. But . . ._

_"Please, take me to him."_


	7. Chapter 7

Oh . . . I hurt. The feeling of my body shivering from cold and pain makes me sick to my stomach. I can even hear myself let loose a few whines and whimpers as the pain surges through every part of my body! Where am I?! Am I dead?! No, I wouldn't feel pain, would I? What's going on then?!

I open my eyes, which brings on a headache, and . . . it's dark. Just blackness; I can't see anything. What does that mean? I'm . . . Blind!

I try to move but . . . but I can't! Oh, man, panic . . . panic! My legs, my arms, my head, nothing can move! The more I struggle the more I realize I can't move. I can't breathe, ow, my right arm hurts . . . I'm trapped. Am I paralyzed?

No . . . my body shivers again as I feel how cold it really is and how damp my fur feels. Suddenly, I let go of a breath I didn't even know I was holding to find I can breathe . . . with extreme pain. I take in a deep, slow breath and soon cough and sputter as the feeling of someone stabbing my chest takes place.

"Get me out of here," I moan, feeling like I was going to die. A headache, the pain in my arms and legs, the difficulty in just breathing . . . I open my mouth again hoping to take a shorter, less painful breath when something gritty and earthy lands right on my tongue.

Dirt . . . no sand. Gross . . . wait, sand? Desert, chaos emerald, Eggman, Knuckles, Tails . . . my memory comes flooding back along with a wave of anxiety. Have they been caught? Am I? Are they okay? If Eggman did this to me, what did he do to Tails and Knuckles? I've got to find them!

I will for my determination and concern for my friends to override the pain and begin struggling against what I now know to be sand to get free. Wet sand though; so, not easy. I'm not so blind either; I can see a little now. In fact, I see the light at the end of a vertical tunnel but how . . . I would need to be underground.

But, underground? Okay, questions later. Just worry about getting out of here. Why can't I move this arm . . . ?

"Ow, oh."

Man, now I remember; it's broken. With extreme care, I use my left hand to dig out my right arm. As I dig out my legs, I slowly realize the scent of oil all around me and meshed into my fur. Oh, well, guess I won't need that hot oil treatment, after all. Just gross.

I also notice I'm missing a shoe and a glove. As I try to stand in the wet, oily mess of sand, I quickly learn the ankle with a shoe still attached is sprung. I attempt to climb out of the hole but find my one working hand and foot aren't enough to pull my pathetic butt up. This is bad but, while we're at it, there is a small hole in the corner that's beginning to spring up water which is slowly eating away the floor from underneath me. I have also discovered I feel like I am going to wet myself.

I Have To Get Out Of Here!

Think, Think, Think! Plan, we need a plan. Forget plan, just get out! Idea, Idea . . . wait. I look down at my shoe on a foot that doesn't work and a glove on a hand that doesn't work. Duh. I quickly switch the clothing items; though they fit strangely it's better than slipping.

I begin climbing successfully, just as the floor gives way to a blackish liquid; a mix of oil, water, and dirt I guess. I feel beads of sweat run down the course of my body as it is taking everything I have to just hold on to the tunnel sides and even more than I have to struggle upwards. I can feel the sand embedding itself into my skin as I press up against the wall and drag myself up.

Every shaky handhold and wobbling footstep is another heart attack to my nerves, but that's what it takes to bring me one moment closer to the surface. Sometimes, I have to stop as my body shudders under the stress. I can't do this much longer, I'm going to slip, I'm gonna fall!

No! I can't fall, I won't fall, I will not allow it. I'm getting out. I grit my teeth, knowing that if Eggman has captured my friends they're going to need my help, no matter what condition I'm in. If I'm going to make it I need to focus away from the pain onto what matters, and I'm going to make it.

As I near the surface, the sun on my fur is nice; the warmth feels comforting. The air up here is fresher and the sand softer on my skin. Ah, I can feel a breeze; a gentle wind. Almost there . . . almost . . . just a little closer. Come on.

No, yes, no, yes . . . yes, yes, yes! I let out a breath as I drag myself up over the edge onto the hot desert sand and just lay there; exhausted. I feel way beyond tired. Completely drained is more like it. Oh, I can't even stop my body from shaking. It's miserable but relieving all at the same time. It's so confusing.

Shivering from the cold water in my fur and the pain throbbing through my body one moment, then purring in the warmth of the sun and the temporary ease brought on by the breaks between waves of pain the next. It's making me sick, so, I just lay here, hoping someone will find me; doubt and fear doing everything to make their presence known.

Then I hear a slight fluttering, at least, it sounds like fluttering. I use up what feels like every last bit of energy in me to turn my head in the direction of the noise. The sun is so bright; all I can make out are shadows of some things in the air, some flying things. I look to the ground and see the outline of large birds . . . terror and despair don't waste any time adding themselves to my pain . . . vultures. Isn't it bad enough I'm in this position than to have a welcoming committee like this?! Or is it dinner company?

I hear the stupid pigeons coming down but I make an effort to sit up and they all quickly flap away, though not far.

"Go away," I shout, but I'm shocked by how hoarse and brass my voice sounds.

"Squawk," is the dumb bird's reply, and I thought I sounded bad. They all start squalling as they keep moving in closer; lunchtime in their beady little eyes. With a broken arm, swollen ankle, and possibly cracked ribs, I'm not going anywhere fast. I'm also faintly aware of a gurgling noise in my lungs every time I breathe deeply; not good considering life right now.

"Ouch, let go, let go! You stupid birdbrain!" I scream as one of the vultures grabs my arm, my broken arm, with its beck. I raise up my good arm and hammer it off before it does any real damage . . . but I have to cradle my arm again and fight back tears as it feels like it's going to fall off. Frustrated, I kick dirt at several of the birds now circling me, eyeing me warily. It didn't take a genius to figure out I'm in for some trouble and that if I didn't get out of here . . .

The instinct within me at that moment forces me to react in a way I wish never to repeat. I curl up into the tightest ball I can muster; spines erect and let out all kinds of screams, loud growls, shouts, ear-splitting whistles and any other loud noise I can possibly make. It's working, it's working! Yes, the birds are leaving; crazy turkeys . . . wait what's that.

I feel taps on my back and a few pulls on my quills. The birds are trying to get to me, but they can't. So, I stay tucked, preventing anything from getting to my middle or ligaments. Man, this is like that movie; I'll never watch it again. Then the assault lets up and I decide this might be a chance for me to make an escape. Sore ankle or not I have to make a run for it. Uncurling so fast, I'm dizzy, I lurch forward, frantically trying to gain distance. Instead, I collapse about three yards from where I was and quickly curl up before the onslaught of vultures comes back on top of me. I try again only to be caught in the same situation. I almost want to jump back into that hole. I almost cry at the hopelessness.

How am I going to get out of here? All I can hear is the flapping and the squawking, the poking and pulling. Is this what happened to my friends? Knuckles? Tails? Are they dead or dying? What have I done? Where are they? I can't handle it; the stress, the pain.

Lord, it's a nightmare . . . please . . . please, make it stop. I fold my ears back to block out the noise, but it doesn't stop the distress for my friends inside of me. For that, I cry, worrying about them, worrying about my own fate and failure.

The pulling of my fur and quills stops and so does the poking and jabbing of beaks and claws, but I don't uncurl. They're probably waiting for me to run again. Well, no show here. I hold my ground instead, praying they'll lose interest in me. Suddenly, I feel a weight on my back, but it's different than before. It's not pulling or poking, but it is firmly in place and huge. I tense up not knowing what to expect. It's shaking me now, must be trying to flip me over; no. I resort to screaming again but I fade quickly; I'm too tired. I just remain curled; deaf to the world around me. Then it starts . . . stroking me. What? It feels like fingers, fingers? I release my ears from the side of my head.

"Sonic?! Sonic, can you hear me?"

My eyes widen as I recognize the voice. I don't know whether to jump up with joy at the sound of my name or cry more at the sound of Eggman. This could be the single greatest or worst moment of my life. Isn't all this Eggman's fault, is he trying to kill me? But I'm so tired; I don't think fighting back will work. Experience has taught me one thing over time and that is you have to take your chances. Risk and reward. The Doc is pretty unpredictable, but I know I need help and that he doesn't kick a hedgehog when he's down, some of the time. Plus, he doesn't sound villainous, just concerned.

I uncurl to see that was a mistake as my head throbs with a new headache. I open my eyes and look up at the evil egghead and would have laughed at the worried face he has on if the pain wasn't so great. Crazy that it would be my worst enemy to find me, uncanny even. I manage to smirk, though I can feel the corners of my mouth twitching with stress. He frowns at me lifting an eyebrow as well. Man, got to break this awkward moment.

"Nice timing. Could have been a lot faster . . ." I try to joke but my stomach makes an unpleasant gesture, hurling my guts all over the desert. Embarrassing as that is, I nearly fall back into my own vomit, face first, when the Doc catches me. My vision is starting to blur which usually means I don't have long before I pass out. The thought of doing that with Eggman around makes me anxious. Then he actually picks me up to which my body naturally protests by tensing up. It is painful to do so, but I can't tell myself not to. It must have been noticeable.

"Relax," he says to me before turning outwards to shout, "I found him."

I look out of the corner of my eyes to see Knuckles and Tails running towards us and I smile; they're okay. I can now relax, tension melting off as the burden of their safety is lifted off, knowing I can trust in my friends for my protection and help. I look back up at Eggman who seems to be deep in thought. Wonder what he's thinkin' about; the crazy, old man. Hope he's really interested in helping us and not hatching a science experiment in that warped mind of his. It's so hot out here. And, wow, my thoughts aren't making any no sense . . . none.

"You're lucky, hedgehog," he says. Yeah, right.

"But don't expect me to help you out again," he says. What's that all about? He's helped me out plenty of times, well maybe not plenty. Once or twice now that I think about it. Not without self-benefit . . . in fact, he's probably helped me out more times than any other enemy . . . oh, forget it. It hurts to think right now.

"Is he all right?" I hear Tails' faintly ask.

"Maybe, I'll have to _blah blah blah_ to see if everything is in order _blah blah blah_ ," Eggman goes on about something. It's becoming 'yawn' tiresome to listen, but I struggle to stay awake and do so.

"He'd better or else," Knuckles threatens and I can feel myself chuckle at this. Eggman quirks an eye ridge at me and for some reason, I have to fight the urge to stick my tongue out at him.

"I think he'll be fine."

"I hope so," I feel Tails hand on my forehead and smile at his childlike concern. They're all right . . . blackness, I think I'll give in to sleep, but . . . I turn to Tails.

"Next time, I tell you don't worry . . . do me a favor; worry."


	8. Chapter 8

It's been three days since the _incident_ out in the Mobian Desert and, man, am I sore. From what Knuckles and Tails told me, the Doc allowed them to patch me up before dumping us out. Heh, funny. I never thought an evil scientist bent on my destruction would open up his secret base of operations as a free clinic, but I guess there's a first time for everything. Grant it, I had Tails check my brain just to make sure no microchips were planted, but still. Anyway, when I woke up I had Tails crying for joy, Knuckles lecturing me on reckless behavior and one killer headache.

I fractured one arm, sprained one ankle, cracked two ribs, and managed to fill one lung up with who knows what. But, I am still alive and smiling, so, I guess that means I'll be fine. Right now I'm holed up in, ugh, Amy's house. I would have preferred Tails' workshop, but I was told a hammock in a cluttered airplane hangar wasn't the ideal recovery space. Considering Amy's the only one with a proper house with a spare room, I'm receiving the old hand and foot treatment here and hating every minute of it. In fact, I think she's taking advantage of the situation and getting far too much enjoyment out of spoon-feeding me—which she insists on doing, I might add.

Anyway, it's driving me crazy and if I hear _you poor dear_ one more time, I'm going full ballistic on that _poor dear_. The smell of gauze and antiseptic are making me sick and the sounds of life taking place just outside the window are torture. Being cooped up isn't any fun and neither is the pain. On top of all this, I can't help but wonder what Egghead's up to in my absence or why he helped us in the first place, for that matter. After my wounds were mended, Knuckles told me Eggman flew us back to the oasis and unceremoniously ejected us out of the Eggmobile. Tails also mentioned the doctor, graciously, kept the Chaos Emerald and will probably still carry out his original plan of taking over the world and blah, blah, blah. Figures.

Still, Knuckles pointed out something else that didn't add up. He said he had climbed back up to reach the desert's edge with the full intention of stopping the madman, but when he got there he couldn't find Egghead or the giant tractor of death. It's not the most comforting thought, but . . . then again, if Eggman had still been there it might have been even more terrifying.

Either way, it's got my gears turning. Doctor Eggman should really be locked up where he can't do any more harm to anyone, ever, but, it's hard to stop an enemy as unpredictable as he is. Funny thing is, he would probably say the same thing about me. I am a pretty spur-of-the-moment kind of guy. Sometimes, I don't even know what I'm gonna do next.

Anyway, with Eggy, it's always just when you think he's got the upper hand you find something so ridiculously flawed in the robot design or plan or trap or his own exposition that it tips you off on how to beat it. Other times, you go in thinking it's a piece of cake and come out with your butt kicked. Grant it, with friends by my side, our tails are getting kicked a whole lot less, but the hazards are always growing more dangerous. I mean, a crabmeat drone versus a huge, killing machine totting a bazooka and you can see the difference. It brings another thought to my mind.

I almost died.

Tails said . . . they thought I was gone. He still tells me how glad he is to see me alive. It's sobering . . . always is. Yeah, it's all fun until you miss. So exciting until someone gets hurt or worse. But what can I do? Quit the game? Sorry, ya'll, I don't feel like saving the world today; maybe find someone else to do the risk all or nothin' thing.

It's not like I asked for all this. I just can't tell my heart no. Since the beginning, I couldn't just pass by when there's trouble. I had to do something; then and now. I have to help.

But, I almost died this time.

Oh, here come the questions; the doubts I don't need. That's why I can't stand being still so long. Gives you too much time to worry; way too many things to worry about. Like what would happen to my friends without me? How would they . . . react if I had died? Man, I have to get away from this subject. Wonder what's for lunch?

"Sonic?"

Well, what do you know; just in time.

"Yeah, Amy," I called as she cracked open the door. I notice she's not alone. Standing just behind her was Tails. Yes! That meant . . .

"I brought you some chili dogs," he said carrying a tray loaded with the tasty goodies.

"And some local vegetables with healing properties," another voice piped up from the doorway. Will the surprises never cease?

"Thanks, Tails. Hey, knucklehead," I greeted as they all came into the room.

"That's what I get? Hey, knucklehead. See if I ever come to visit you again," Knuckles griped until Amy elbowed him in the stomach. I hid a snicker as Tails plopped the platter on the nightstand.

"How are you feeling today," he asked. I smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

"Pretty good. Can't wait until I'm good enough to go, though."

"Doctor says it will be another week, remember?" Amy chided with a frown. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"I know. You won't let me forget, remember?" I shot right back at her. The frown deepened. I swear she'd keep me here forever if she could.

"Well, I have to get back to guarding the Master Emerald," Knuckles began until Amy turned her displeasure on him.

"What do you mean? You're leaving? You just got here. At least stay for lunch. Don't you know it's rude to leave in the middle of a get-together?" she stressed, practically getting in Knuckles' grill. Tails pulled a classic facepalm as the two started bickering over the importance of obligations and manners. He tried to break it up.

"Guys, I don't think . . ."

"Butt out!" they both shouted as they went back at it. Surprisingly, that was enough to get my little buddy in on the argument. As I listened to them fight, my sense of humor just couldn't be hindered.

"In this corner, we have proper etiquette represented by the ever intimidating _Amy Rose_. While, in this corner, we have staunch responsibility embodied by that formidable guardian, _Knuckles_. And last, but certainly not least, we have the bright, the sensible, _Tails_ standing in for sweet reason," I declared in my best announcer voice. All their glares turned towards me, but I was too tickled by my own statement to really notice. Than Tails laughed too.

"Sweet reason," he repeated with a chuckle.

Soon we were all laughing and you know, at that moment, I realized something. I'm blessed to have friends like these in my life. I'm not normally the sentimental type, but I can't shake this mushy feeling as I see their smiling faces.

I almost died, but I didn't, thanks to them and that's enough. So, blame it on the near-death experience or the chilidogs, but I'm really happy to have the opportunity to share this day with them and just hope we share many more.

_Fin_


End file.
